By Aura Hucks

 

Part of an artist’s journey is getting prepared to sell their work. Whether it’s to a company or an individual client there are a few things to be aware of! I started selling my art a few years before college. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I have learned a lot. Now as a RMCAD graduate, I want to share my experience with artists, creatives, and anyone looking to sell their work.  In this article, I will cover what I have found most important over the years of being an artist.

Getting Started

1. Getting ready to market yourself
Just like any business, it’s important to market yourself to attract clients! The first thing with marketing is knowing your audience and who you’re aiming to reach. Find a community to post samples of your artwork in; it’s good to have a presence on social media, along with your own website to send out to your group.

If there is something unique you practice within your craft, make that’s the star of the show and become an expert in that.
Make sure to network within your community as well, this way you can meet with other industry professionals! You will be able to learn more about your craft, and the industry, and overall it’s a great opportunity to make new friends. Take opportunities to go to public events to speak about your work, to share, and to sell!

2. Social Media

Being on social media is a great way to build a community. Many apps like Instagram and Twitter offer a place for you to post work to the public. You can tag your work so it’s easier to find when people search for similar things. There are functions that allow you to make reels to show your artistic practice, or you can post your work on your “story”. Use these functions to your advantage! 

If you’re looking for something more professional, you may want to use websites like Artstation to display your work. 

Selling your work & Keeping Yourself Safe

After you’ve joined (or built) a good community, it’s time to get ready to sell your artwork. 

  1. Terms and Conditions

When accepting commissions, it’s extremely important to set out some basic rules for your clients, to both protect yourself and make sure that your client gets the best quality possible. There is nothing wrong with telling a client “no” if they have gone against your rules, they must be aware of them first.
When writing terms and conditions, I highly recommend that these are signable documents, or you can create another contract stating that they’ve read the terms and conditions, and agree to them.
Things you’ll need to put in your terms and conditions are:

-Accepted payments
-Rush fees
-Refund Policies
-Repost/reprint policies
-Artwork Ownership
-Cancellations
-Artist limitations (e.g. rules on sexual content)
-Change request limit
-Copyright

The document may end up being lengthy, but it’s important to cover all of your bases and make sure everything is clear. Absolutely no vague rules. If you need to adjust your contract per client, it’s always okay to do so. 

You can always find examples of contracts online, there are also some resources mentioned at the end of this article that have example contracts and that go through how to create them.

  1. Accepting Payments 

Make sure you’re clear about what forms of payment you accept. Using an app such as Venmo, Paypal, or Cash app is something I always recommend. These apps track who’s sending the payment, and that it’s been received. Services such as Paypal also allow you to create an invoice for the client.
NEVER accept a check from anyone. It can be exciting to receive a commission but never accept a check if a client says it’s the only way that they can pay. Checks are very risky and can bounce. There are legal repercussions for passing a bad check through a bank. I don't recommend accepting wire transfers either, and make sure to avoid giving out any bank information. When pricing your commissions, I recommend that you set an hourly rate for yourself as well as factor in any necessary supply cost. Make sure to take at least 50% of the pay up front, or the full cost.

  1. Timing

When calculating costs, you may want to price at an hourly rate. When calculating those hours keep in mind that it will usually take you double the amount of time than you think. For example, it may take you 5 hours to make a simple painting. You will also need to factor in any software crashes, errors, mistakes, breaks, supply runs, etc. Never expect anything to go smoothly!


 

  1. Boundaries & Saying NO 

There will always be a situation where you have to say no to a client and this isalways okay, especially if you find yourself uncomfortable, unable to complete the work, or uninterested in the project.

While being declined can be upsetting, you can soften the blow by recommending someone to another artist. 

It’s important to mention requests from family and friends in this section, as we may feel pressured by personal relationships to take the requested job. While they may be important to you, they are still your clients and should receive your contracts and be expected to pay. Don't let clients bully you! Stay strong to your rules and set boundaries. No is always an acceptable answer, no explanation is required!


 

Communication

Communicating with your clients is an absolute must. Without communication, clients and yourself can be left in the dark about expectations, progress, etc. 

  1. Manners & Professionalism 

This one sounds like a no-brainer, but always make sure to use your best manners when communicating with a client. Sending professional emails and documents makes you and your business look good and reputable. This increases the chances clients will return to you for more work, as well as have other people recommended to you. Be consistent with the way you communicate and provide excellent customer service. 

Be honest with your clients even if the news isn’t great, you can always break bad news or set boundaries in a professional manner. Expect the same kindness and professionalism from your clients as well. 

Avoid working with those who are rude, pushy, or demanding; you are an artist, not a doormat.

  1. Responding to Emails

When working through email, make sure to be responsive to keep the process rolling. If there is any communication over the phone, make sure to request a follow-up email so you have a record of the conversation for future reference.

It’s also important to be very clear through emails! Request reference from the client, repeat back what you understand that they’re telling you so you’re for sure on the same page.

  1. Sharing progress 

As you work on the piece, you’ll need to share your progress with the client. Before you send them a file or a screenshot, always watermark your work! This way, they cannot run off with the requested piece. 

When you share your work, let the client request adjustments and tweaks. However, don’t let them abuse that, only allow a set amount of adjustments so you’re not going back and forth and adding additional time. If the client requests further adjustments after their limit, feel free to state that you will need to renegotiate the contract and adjust the price. 


 

  1. Sending work off

After you finish the work, make sure to send it off to your client in the requested file format. Always thank the client for working with you and let them know you hope to hear from them again soon. Offer any external links such as your website, Instagram, or other places they can reach out and keep in touch.

Watching out for Scams

Unfortunately, with the rise of social media, there has also been a major rise in scams. It’s important to know the signs of a scam and how to avoid them.

  1. Signs of a Scam

There are many telltale signs of a scam, and it’s extremely important to be aware of them. First, is that they will usually lack any type of formal greeting and will have poor grammar.
They will start by giving you an extremely large budget which can be enticing, but don’t let them fool you. They may follow up and try to gather sympathy, (I’m purchasing this for my sick child, it’s a gift for a wedding, etc.). However, they won’t request anything specific, they’ll usually give you a bland idea and ask for it “in your style” with little to no reference.

They may ask for your location as well or other personal information, it’s easy to think that this could be for shipping reasons, but a lot of the time they’re making sure you’re in North America since that’s where most of the scams work; never give out any personal information.

  1. Digging Deeper

If you’re unsure if someone is trying to run a scam, things you can check for are to see if they are following you on social media. It’s unlikely that if an individual is unfamiliar with you, your art, and your community they’re going to be willing to put down a large sum of money. 

Listen to what they are saying, if they are telling you that they can only pay with a check or money order, or they cannot use traditional payment methods, they are most likely trying to run a scam. Never accept a check!

You should always check the account of the requester to see if it looks legitimate. Fake accounts will usually be private and have very few followers. It will essentially look like a new account. You can see when an Instagram account was created by navigating to the profile page and selecting the 3 horizontal dots next to the username. Select “About this account” and it will display the month and year of when the account was created.

Emails can be a little more tricky, but most people will have a professional email along with their personal email. If a company is reaching out, make sure to do research on the company to see if it’s legitimate. 

Try and find a company website, they will usually have an email address listed in a “contact us” menu. Once you find an email on the company website, pay attention to the email address itself. All addresses have a domain,  for example, “@gmail.com” is a domain. Companies will usually have a special domain specifically to be used by the company staff. Make sure the email you received matches that domain.  Domains that are misspelled or consist of a long list of numbers are usually not legitimate.  Never click on any suspicious links and attachments in suspicious emails.

  1. Responding to Scams

Anyone who wants to buy your work will respect your terms and conditions, along with any contracts you have. Stay firm to your rules, and remember it’s always okay to say “no” and ask them to take their request elsewhere. If you are positive that they are running a scam, always report the account and block them to avoid further interactions.
Avoid entertaining the scam to see where it goes, your curiosity may land you in a bad spot.

 

Resources

If you’re looking to do more research and be more prepared, here are some great resources to check out:

Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines Edition 16

This book is an amazing resource for professional artists selling art and those looking to purchase artwork.
It offers in-depth information on how to price artwork, example contracts, copyright information, and more. 

Available at the RMCAD Library

AIGA Professional Practices in Graphic Design

This book is a full guide containing information about relationships with clients, employees, and suppliers; all the way to Graphic Design for business, marketing strategies, rights, and more. Available at the RMCAD Library
 

Art Inc.: Lisa Congdon
In this book, professional artist Lisa Congdon discusses how to make a living by selling art. She discusses licensing, print sales, goal setting, website building and so much more. 

Available at the RMCAD Library

Art/Work: Heather Bhandari, Jonathan Melber
Heather Bhandari, a gallery director along with Jonathan Melber, an arts lawyer created this guide to discuss how to protect yourself as an artist and build your career. They write about how to take legal precautions, promotional tools, keeping inventory, and the importance of invoices.

Available at the RMCAD Library
 

Student Freelancing 101, A Start-to-Finish Course to Becoming a Student Freelancer: Amber Turner
In this book, freelance artist Amber Turner writes about how to do freelance as a college student. She covers developing a network, meeting with clients, creating a portfolio, being prepared financially, keeping school and work balance, and many other topics.
Available at the RMCAD Library
 

Places to get Your Online Shop Running

  • -Etsy
  • -Artsy
  • -Society6
  • -Redbubble